For many high school students, summer is about relaxing, traveling, and hanging out with friends. But, if you’re a student craving a fun, yet transformative experience that builds your leadership skills, Launch Leadership’s summer workshop could be for you. Each summer, Launch holds two leadership workshops, one in June and one in July. These workshops, which are held at Doane University in Crete, give high school students the opportunity to meet new people, become better leaders, and, most importantly, have fun, through fun group activities.

Junior Ben Dickson attended Launch’s July workshop for the second time last summer. Dickson says his experience at Launch was very good, especially when it came to meeting new people.

“It was really great to meet some of these new people, people I would never interact with. You become so close with these people, it’s pretty amazing,” Dickson said.

Freshman Ava Nkwocha also says that the best part of Launch, for her, was also the connections she made. 

“I loved making the genuine friendships there,” Nkwocha said.

Both Dickson and Nkwocha still talk to the people they met at Launch, despite the fact that they go to different schools all across the state.

Nkwocha said she learned more about being a leader from Launch. 

“It really helped me step outside of my comfort zone, Nkwocha said. “I feel like I gained some confidence and I got more used to not being comfortable and being okay with it,” she said.

She also says it helped her become better at initiating things.

“It kept me moving faster on my feet, so I could start something instead of waiting around for someone else to,” she said.

Science teacher Mia Sharpnack went to Launch as a delegate and now serves on its volunteer staff. She also says that her experience as a delegate helped her gain confidence and improve herself.

“A part of why I consider myself a life-long learner is because of the experience I had as a delegate,” Sharpnack says.

At Launch, delegates partake in a variety of activities, including structured, curriculum-based leadership building activities and unstructured fun bonding activities. Nkwocha said her favorite activity at Launch last summer was The Color Purple, an activity where every delegate was assigned a card with a color on it, and treated differently based on their color. The activity was meant to be a learning experience for the delegates about what it was like to experience discrimination.

“It was a little bit of an eye opener,” Nkwocha said.  “I liked seeing how everyone reacted to it.”

Sharpnack says that large group activities that portray a larger message like The Color Purple are some of the most fun and transformative activities at Launch. However, there are many other opportunities to have fun and make new friends. Nkwocha got the chance to play sand volleyball on Doane’s volleyball courts. Dickson enjoyed hanging out with his new friends at the end of workshop dance.

Registration for Launch’s summer workshops opens on Jan. 25, 2024. The cost  is $575 for the 5- day long workshop and scholarships are available for prospective delegates in need of financial aid. Both Dickson and Nkwocha say they are extremely excited to go again and advise people interested in improving their leadership skills to do so too.

“I had a lot of fun, its’ so amazing to make new friends, and its’ such a loving and peaceful environment and I’m definitely looking forward to it”, says Nkwocha.

“If you really want to develop your leadership skills, [Launch] is something you really should do,” advises Dickson

Launch isn’t just a summer camp. It’s an experience, and it’s an experience that stays with you for the rest of your life. Going to Launch over the summer could help you make lifelong friends, improve your abilities as a leader, and make long-lasting memories. So, if you’re looking for something fun to do with your summer, perhaps Launch is an option for you.